Vedic vs. Tantric Hinduism (Mythic May Vol. 8)

Vedic vs. Tantric Hinduism

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Author's Note: This article is in reference to The Soma Tantra

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Differences and disagreements among religious factions don't necessarily indicate that spiritual truths aren't real, but that we as humans can't communicate them very well.

If you study any religion enough (whether Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) you soon discover that even within its own canonical corpus, few theologians can see eye to eye.

'Hinduism' as such is a blanket term for several strains of Indian philosophy that focus on particular deities and what they represent, without much in the way of uniformity.

Some Hindu sects reflect the Vedic caste system brought by Aryan invaders while others represent the Tantric traditions of Indus Valley Dravidians.

Historically, a process known as religious syncretism (merging) occurred between these Vedic and Dravidian denominations; giving rise to the rich panoply of Hindu polytheism.

Since 'Hinduism' bears the influence of disparate schools of thought, some sociological friction between its Vedic and Tantric strains still exists.

Class struggles borne out by the Varna caste system (as well as between various ethnic groups) definitely appear to be hidden within the subtext of Hindu mythology.

For example, Brahma and Vishnu usually exemplify Aryan-Vedic ideals and morals whereas Shiva and Kali are Tantric-Dravidian forces of unrestrained freedom.

Devotees of Vishnu are thus referred to as Vaishnavas, while Shiva's followers are called Shaivas, Shaivites, or Siva Sadhus. Shakti (the divine feminine) actually outweighs Brahma (a patriarchal creator god) in this Eastern schema.

Analogously, this competition between Vedic and Tantric ways of thinking / acting was also mirrored by the ancient Greeks with their Apollo-Dionysus dichotomy. Indeed, Nietzche extrapolated it to full effect in his seminal debut: The Birth of Tragedy. Even renown Indologist Alain Danielou documented it extensively in a very fine piece of comparative religion: Gods of Love and Ecstacy.

The Soma Tantra is a contemporary work of Mythic fiction that portrays said friction between Vedic and Tantric branches of Hinduism as a war upon the moon between the Devatas and Ashuras (gods and demons, respectively).

Only those capable of delving beneath the surface of such a fantastic tale will see through to the deepest layer of its abstracted narrative...

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Further Reading: Past Issues of Mythic May

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Meditating On The Fields of Naraka (Mythic May Vol. 7)

Meditating On The Fields of Naraka

Skandha, son of Shiva Mahadeva, sits firmly lodged in samadhi

Awoken to the harsh reality of suffering amid ephemeral qualia

A world set ablaze by impure desires and all our best intentions

Charnels filled with piled-up corpses felled in war, famine or plague

Endless transmigration of finite souls learning lessons for ascension

During darkest times concentrate on those awful fields of Naraka

Pain is a purifier, an agent of both Karma and Dharma

Everything experienced is reciprocal; always balancing out

No one is altogether righteous or evil, innocent or to blame

This plenum of open-ended possibilities refines sentient beings

Cosmic Christ within is perpetually nailed onto crosses

Transcending death despite misleading appearances

Skandha bearing heat from flames, transmutes it to bliss

Defying, nay, reifying unassailable natural laws

Cracked universal egg making way for the phoenix...

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Further Reading: Past Issues of Mythic May

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Balam Ahau (Lord Jaguar) Mythic May Vol. 6

Balam Ahau

Mounted on horseback with arms across chest

It suddenly dawned

That Jaguar as worshipped by the Toltecs

Was an ideal.

A visionary fusion of all that is noble in ape

And feline alike.

Unmitigated ferocity plus stealthy mobility

Granted by Totemic beasts;

Unflinchingly attentive reptile, crafty coyote

Chimeric eclipsed sun

Whose illustrious wingspan brightens emblazoned

Against the moon.  

Prowling through mortality with vigilance

Every act dignified

Growling only when necessity dictates

Amidst backdrops espied

Trailing ziggurat lightning ricochets off

Edges of mind!

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Further Reading: Past Issues of Mythic May

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Pot-Bellied Buddhas (Mythic May Vol. 5)

Pot-Bellied Buddhas

Buddhism remains relatively new in North America and Europe.

It's also been largely misunderstood and misrepresented by the mainstream media.

For one thing, people have come to confuse Budai with the Buddha.

What's the difference you ask? Well, Budai was a fat Chinese monk whom we're told used to travel the countryside carrying a sack full of sustenance (similar to Santa Claus).

In other words, he wasn't the same as Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha from ancient India.

The causes of this commonplace misconception aren't complicated:

As Christ is an honorary title meaning "Anointed One", so does Buddha mean, "Awakened One". 

Said title has been given to many monks after the original Shakyamuni.

Some believe Budai (Hotei in Japanese) was an incarnation of future Buddha Maitreya. However, that's beside the point, since Siddhartha Gautama preceded him nonetheless.

Therefore, people who rub Budai's belly for good luck are merely indulging in an ignorant superstition that has at best, only a tenuous semantic connection to its source!

 

Images (from top to bottom-right):  Laughing Budai Maitreya — circa 10th Century CE, Gandharan Buddha — circa 1st Century CE & Emaciated Buddha (Sikri Stupa) — circa 1st Century BCE.

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Further Reading: Past Issues of Mythic May

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